Press releases

09 Jul 2026 The latest NHS consultant-led Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times data for May 2026 show that 65.6% of patients started treatment within 18 weeks, while the overall waiting list increased to 7.3 million. In 104,734 cases, patients had been waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment.

08 Jul 2026 Commenting on the Government's 10 Year Capital Plan to ‘rebuild the NHS’, Professor Frank Smith, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said: "We welcome the Government's commitment to a long-term capital plan for the NHS and its recognition that modern, well-maintained buildings are essential to delivering safe, timely care for patients."

06 Jul 2026 The NHS will rate trusts according to how well they tackle racism, violence and sexual misconduct towards staff, the government has announced.

01 Jul 2026 Commenting on the inaugural Annual Report of the British Hernia Society Registry (BHSR), Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “We welcome this first annual report of the British Hernia Society Registry as an important step towards improving patient safety and improving understanding of long-term outcomes following hernia surgery."

30 Jun 2026 The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), which represents surgeons across Wales, has welcomed the Welsh Government’s announcement of the membership of the Elective Care Expert Group, a key step towards delivering surgical hub expansion across Wales to increase protected operating capacity and help reduce NHS waiting times.

18 Jun 2026 Surgeons have welcomed the Welsh Government’s prioritisation of surgical hub expansion, as the latest NHS Wales waiting times figures underline that maintaining sustained reductions will depend on expanding surgical capacity. The number of patient pathways waiting two years or more for consultant-led hospital treatment rose from 2,589 in March to 3,694 in April.

11 Jun 2026 With data published today showing that NHS waiting lists have risen again, the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has said the latest figures make clear just how fragile recent progress is, and that there is still a significant journey ahead before patients see the timely care they deserve.

11 Jun 2026 Commenting on ‘GMC tells medical schools: students must not fear consequences for reporting sexual misconduct’, Mr Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said: “The GMC has taken an important step."

04 Jun 2026 RCS England responds to - Government accepts Lord Mann's recommendations to tackle antisemitism and other forms of racism across the NHS

03 Jun 2026 Patients travelling overseas for cosmetic limb lengthening can face serious complications that place additional pressure on NHS services, according to new research published in The Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.